Member postings for ega

If using Kingspan it may be worth considering the ply-faced version.

Brian Wood:

I didn't know about the code letter. Presumably this was done because Myford had a policy about the number of re-grinds that the bed could accept.

The bed may have been re-ground/milled thereby erasing the serial. I think a pukka re-grinder would have re-stamped the number, however.

Emgee:

Thanks for the link to an excellent video.

Andrew Johnston:

Don't you have to be registered with Dropbox?

Vic:

Why not do what the traditional woodturner would do, turn a wooden mandrel and wring the work on to it?

You don't give any details of your job save that it's "some wood" so my suggestion may be inappropriate.

ARC sell some fancy (parallel) expanding mandrels.

Edited By ega on 27/10/2018 11:47:59

Kealan O'Carroll:

Your photos show two notably well-made items and have prompted me to add a dial gauge to my own simple hard stop. I am aware of the danger of over-clamping the stem of the gauge and wonder how the one in your photo is retained; it looks as though it might just be a pinch screw?

Incidentally, am I right in thinking that the block in the first photo slides on and is clamped to both the lathe bed and the stop rod?

larry phelan 1:

Spot on!

Sparey and other classic titles should be in every ME's library.

Edited By ega on 26/10/2018 14:05:40

For this purpose, a good friend recommended the fingernail test: lightly graze the tool against a finger nail at an acute angle; the tool should catch against the nail.

Vic:

On the possibility of the wood moving, obviously Messrs Parris know their business but I did wonder whether cleaving the blank rather than just sawing it would have helped; they seem to be getting the necessary straight grain by rigorous selection.

I suspect that an excellent cue could be made by machine methods with non-wood materials but it seems that the players are a conservative, perhaps even superstitious, group of people who stick to what they know. If this means the fostering of hand skills then I am all for it!

On the theme of hand-held hole saws:

Derek Lane 2:

Looking at your second photo, were you third equal?

I very much like those plates.

Certainly cheaper, and fine when they will do the job. I have often found chip clearance a potential problem with holesaws when used on thick material, often necessitating frequent stops to clear and add lubricant. When, as with gear blanks, the middle rather than the hole is the object, I find it helpful to arrange things so that the kerf runs out at one or more points thus allowing the chips an easier exit.

Apart from the fact that the Rotabroach type of cutter has flutes for chip clearance it has the added advantage that it cuts closer to size and, further, a pilot is not necessary so that the resultant slug has no central hole.

Derek Lane 2:

It is a long time since I visited the Woodworker exhibition at the Palace but I am sure I should have remembered your piece if I had had the pleasure of seeing it in the wood.

Hollowing the sphere and managing the lid must have taken some planning!

Vic:

Fascinating video and an object lesson in what can be done with simple tools. The long vee block or sticking board that the plane wielder uses takes care of what could be a stability problem on the lathe (and I notice that he very properly puts the plane down on its side when it is not in use).

R O'S was surprisingly good.

Didn't BMW run a spoof ad touting remote monitoring of tire pressures and hasn't that come to pass?

I well remember the steering wheel which could be moved from one side of the car to the other.

Of course, if you have access to a large Rotabroach you will have an easier time to start with and a nicer bit in the middle.

KWIL and Vic:

Excellent video - thank you.

My impression is that only the splice is planed; there was a shot of what looked like a lathe near the start.

Some interesting similarities with metalworking: seasoning the stock and rolling on surface plate to check for straightness.

Apologies and thanks respectively to the above.

The Mikron spindle seems to combine the advantages of both taper and threaded spindles.

Good point. GHT covers this procedure in his Manual where he mentions that the method was used for turning billiard balls.

That reminds me that there is a specialised trade in the manufacture and maintenance of cues; I wonder if they employ hand turning.